News
Chinese billionaire behind Faraday Future secures $600 million for LeEco EV business

Following reports that Faraday Future has stopped construction of its $1 billion North Las Vegas factory, Chinese billionaire Jia Yeuting who backed the company has secured $600 million to support his other electric vehicle company, LeEco, after the company expressed financial woes last month. The source of financing is reportedly from personal investments through Jia’s classmates at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing.
Yueting has created a bewildering array of companies. He started out with LeShi, popularly known as “the Chinese Netflix.” That company made several fortunes selling electronic devices like televisions and cell phones in China. It also produced streaming content for people to watch through the company’s set of new digital devices.
When Jia decided to venture into the electric car business, he pivoted the company and formed LeEco in China. That company has been showing off a concept car entitled LeSee — a large four door luxury sedan similar to the Model S. The prototype made an appearance at a splashy event in San Francisco last October but the self-driving concept car refused to function properly and failed to dutifully follow Jia down a runway to the stage.
Jia also created Faraday Future, the company that stunned the automotive world by introducing a 1,000 horsepower single seat supercar that looked more like a jet fighter than a car at the CES show last January. Since then, there have been reports of test mules spotted on the streets of Los Angeles where the company’s headquarters is based. Earlier this month, Faraday Future showed glimpses of what is says will be its first production car through a series of cut-scenes of the vehicle driving along a track.
Jia has also invested heavily in San Francisco startup Atieva. That company has been bragging that its powertrain is superior to anything else out there. There is a video of a Mercedes van dubbed Edna out drag racing a Tesla Model S and a Ferrari. Atieva recently changed its name to Lucid. It purports to be working on an all new large luxury sedan to rival the Model S. The company may be owned by Jia, but is headed by Peter Rawlinson, a former lead engineer at Tesla who was heavily involved in the development of the Model S.
Le.com, a digital platform for television and activities, LeMall.com, a web shop with LE-branded electronics, LeCloud cloud computing, LeEco Microcredit internet finance, and LeAuto, a connected car system are other ventures backed by Jia.
In a letter to shareholders recently, Jia admitted to “blindly speeding ahead” into new ventures. That seems a bit of an understatement. The question now is whether the new financing will be used to shore up his core businesses that actually makes money or be thrown into the money pit known as the car business? And how this will impact the future of Faraday Future is anyone’s guess.

Investor's Corner
“Nothing Magnificent about Tesla (TSLA),” claims Jim Cramer
Cramer shared his thoughts about the matter in a comment to CNBC.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is one of the stocks in the “Magnificent Seven,” which is comprised of U.S. tech companies that have driven notable market growth. But as per finance veteran Jim Cramer, electric vehicle maker Tesla no longer qualifies for the group’s moniker.
Cramer shared his thoughts about the matter in a comment to CNBC.
Not “Magnificent” Anymore
The Magnificent Seven (Mag 7) stocks are comprised of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Tesla, and Nvidia. The companies are known for their large market caps, innovation, and domination in their respective fields. As per Cramer in his recent comments, however, there are essentially no Mag 7 stocks anymore amid the fallout of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“You can buy some low multiple techs, industrials, and banks here. We did that for the charitable trust today, right under the teeth of the selloff. I would not jump back into the Magnificent 7 because, as of tonight, there is no ‘Mag 7’ anymore. I came up with that name, and I’m scrapping it right now — no moniker fits the two or three that remain viable. And I’m not going to put it out there — there’s nothing magnificent about Tesla or Nvidia,” Cramer noted.
Trump Tariffs
Donald Trump’s tariffs are expected to affect a variety of industries, including automakers like Tesla. Despite this, Tesla’s domestic factories such as Gigafactory Texas and the Fremont Factory should shield Tesla to some degree. As per TD Cowen analyst Itay Michaeli, “Tesla (is) a relative beneficiary given [its] 100% U.S. production footprint, substantial U.S. sourcing, and with Model Y competing in a midsize crossover segment where close to ~50% of vehicles could be subject to tariffs.”
Elon Musk, however, has noted that the effects of Trump’s tariffs to Tesla are no joke. “To be clear, this will affect the price of parts in Tesla cars that come from other countries. The cost impact is not trivial,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk
Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country

Tesla is planning to build a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country — Roswell, New Mexico.
Back in 1947, a crash of debris led to rumors of an alleged crash of a UFO just 75 miles north of Roswell near Corona, New Mexico. The crash was officially noted as the recovery of a military balloon, but over the years, speculation persists that the “flying disc” many saw might have been extraterrestrials trying to make contact with Earth.
As a result of the 1947 crash, Roswell has adopted it and used it as the inspiration for much of its tourism. As Tesla is planning to build a Supercharger in the area, it is using the same sort of inspiration for the location, which will feature just eight charging stalls located under a CyberCanopy.
It was first spotted by MarcoRP, a noted Supercharger permit insider:
A new Supercharger is coming soon to Roswell, New Mexico!!
Tesla is currently planning a Cyber-UFO themed station at the Whataburger on N Main St.
The site will feature 8 charging stalls, located under a CyberCanopy with RGB fixtures and a 20.88kW solar array. pic.twitter.com/4BOyM1iuTx
— MarcoRP (@MarcoRPi1) April 2, 2025
Here are some better pictures of the design:
- Credit: MarcoRP | X
- Credit: MarcoRP | X
Tesla’s Head of Charging for North America, Max de Zegher, confirmed that the site will be inspired by the events near Roswell in 1947. He noted that Tesla “wants to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worth of the trip itself.”
This will undoubtedly be one of those locations, and along with the Tesla Drive-in Diner Supercharger in Santa Monica, it seems the company could be moving toward some more unique designs for the future, making the charging experience more fun and interesting for owners:
We want to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worthy of the trip itself. Wish we could have kept it under wraps for longer, but submittal was needed for Planning Approval. We can’t hide anything from @MarcoRPi1! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/X2WaKDd408
— Max de Zegher (@MdeZegher) April 2, 2025
Elon Musk
This Tesla vandal caused thousands in damage, but she was let off the hook: Here’s why

A Tesla vandal in Bloomington, Minnesota, caused $3,200 in damages to a car after keying it. However, the local police department, as well as the owner of the Tesla, let her off the hook.
As a Tesla sat in the parking lot of a Cub Foods grocery store, it was damaged in an act of vandalism that we are unfortunately seeing all too frequently. Police managed to locate the woman responsible for the damage, aiming to hold her responsible for the scrapes she applied to the vehicle.
However, in an act that many might not be able to perform, the owner of the Tesla did not want to pursue any criminal charges. Instead, they just wanted their car fixed.
Police Chief Booker Hodges said (via Minnesota Star Tribune):
“The victim in this case just wanted their car fixed, and they just wanted the suspect to pay for that. Based on the totality of the circumstances here, and along with our core value of being compassionate, this is the best outcome for everybody involved in this case.”
It was an incredible act of forgiveness, as many of those who have had their Teslas damaged in response to CEO Elon Musk likely would not have been able to do the same thing. One person who had their vehicle keyed filed a civil lawsuit against the vandal, who damaged their car while it was parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, seeking $1 million in damages.
Chief Hodges finished his remarks about this specific situation by calling out the leaders who have spread a hateful narrative about Musk and Tesla, and the company’s vehicle owners as well:
“We need our leaders to start leading and stop feeding this rhetoric. People should be able to drive whatever car they want without fear of going into a store and someone scratching their car or people yelling at them because of the car that … they choose to drive. It’s time for all of us, you know, just to start getting along and knock this stuff off, man. People should be able to be left alone.”
While Chief Hodges did not mention anyone specifically, Minnesota politician and former VP candidate Tim Walz said earlier this month that he “gets a boost” when Tesla stock falls. He later retracted his statement by stating it was just a joke.
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